1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to preformed burial vault and casket assemblies and, more particularly, to a multi-component assembly including a vacuum formed base, body and lid capable of being stacked in numbers during transit and storage and further capable of being assembled to provide a strong and waterproof construction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is documented with examples of burial vault and casket assemblies and, more particularly, those which are constructed of a plurality of assembleable components. A first example of such a prior art assembly is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,018, to Miller, IV et al., and which teaches a molded and combined casket and burial vault assembly with stackable components. A casket lid is provided with a peripheral and depending lip. A casket body includes tapered side walls and tapered end walls, such that the peripheral flange portion is adapted for receiving the casket lid thereon to create a hermetic seal when the lid is placed on the casket body. Also included are a removable half couch with a convex top portion and a flat bottom edge for resting on the flat peripheral edge of the casket body and underneath the affixable lid. A reusable display carrier has two opposed side walls, two opposed end walls and a reinforced bottom wall defining an interior capable of receiving the casket body to a selected insertable depth and so that only an upper portion of the casket body and casket lid are visible during display.
The construction of the casket bodies, lids and half couches are such that they may be stacked or nestled together one atop the other. The display carrier of Miller, IV further includes ornamental hardware and hand rails, all exteriorly mounted, for transporting the combined assembly from place to place. The lower display carrier unit in Miller, IV is further disclosed as being solely a decorative and reusable display unit and does not, apart from the casket body and lid, form any portion of the actual burial assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,952, issued to Work, discloses a burial vault constructed of a molded plastic resinous material and including a generally flat, rectangular shaped supporting platform, an inner upright wall structure having a generally rectangular-shaped and externally ribbed frame with an open top and which is mounted in hermetically sealing fashion upon the supporting platform, and a generally flat rectangular shaped top closure plate or lid member arranged over and closing the top of the frame member in additional and hermetically sealing fashion. The burial vault of Work also includes a dome-shaped outer cover member having side walls and end walls, a closed top and an open bottom wall. The outer cover member is arranged over the top closure plate or lid member and is mechanically fastened and hermetically sealed with the support platform to enclose the frame.
The present invention is a vacuum formed combination vault and casket assembly having a base, body and lid capable of being stacked in numbers during transit and storage and further capable of being assembled to provide a strong and waterproof construction. It is a further primary objective of the present invention to provide such a casket and vault assembly which is both configured and constructed so that the presence of water and soil during underground interment is actually taken advantage of in the quest of providing ballasting and stabilizing to the assembly.
The present invention includes a body constructed of a plasticized, and preferably polystyrene material and having a bottom, a first upwardly extending side wall, a second spaced apart and upwardly extending side wall, a first interconnecting end wall and a second interconnecting end wall. The side walls and interconnecting end walls define in combination an upwardly facing perimeter edge and each of the side walls and end walls further includes inwardly vacuum formed depressions configured to facilitate gripping of the body. The inwardly vacuum formed depression are extremely useful in that it is customary to utilize a backhoe or like piece of equipment in excavating succeeding gravesites and, in the further instance of prior art casket assemblies having exteriorly projecting handles and hardware, it is found that the backhoe blade will, if improperly positioned, shear off such hardware and otherwise damage a previously buried casket.
An arcuately shaped lid includes a three dimensional, elongated and substantially dome shape. The lid is further defined by a downwardly facing and outer perimeter edge matingly engaged with the upwardly facing perimeter edge to secure the lid to the body and to contain remains placed within the body. An elongate flexible and water resistant seal, typically a half-round butyl seal, is emplaced between the upwardly and downwardly facing perimeter edges of the body and lid and to facilitate the sealing engagement of the lid upon the body.
A substantially planar shaped platform base is provided and includes an upper face and a lower face. The upper face includes an outer raised and perimeter edge to receive therebetween the bottom of the body in slidably resistive fashion. An interior canyon of the platform base defined by the perimeter edge further including a plurality of individual raised surfaces defining projections and extending from the upper face. Reverse faces of the projections defining corresponding recessed surfaces within the opposite lower face and it is found that this unique configuration contributes to the water and soil entraption and ballasting characteristics of the present invention.
A three dimensional and substantially rectangular concrete cap may also be employed with the constructed assembly and includes an underside configuration which is a negative impression of the arcuately shaped lid. Employment of the cap upon the lid causes a significant degree of downwardly directed force to be applied to the lid, body and base, the result of which is to assist in providing immovability and ballasting to the assembly. Additional features include the body, lid and platform base being respectively configured so that pluralities of the same may be stacked one upon the other for ease of transport and storage. Also, display hardware is provided for arranging the lid in an angularly arrayed fashion relative to the body includes first and second substantially L-shaped brackets for receiving selected locations of the perimeter edges of both the base and lid.